It actually refers to The Tempest and is the scene in which Miranda (one of the most annoying Shakepeare heroines) says
" O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't! "
I was going to have a quotation from Brave New World (the title of which comes from that line), but then realised I could barely remember the plot past the first chapter let alone any quotations. And then I got all distracted thinking about The Doors of Perception which I really ought to read at some point (along with several hundred other books on my "ooh I must read that" list). And then I started thinking about The Doors, and realised that I don't think I could name a single solitary song. So ended up back with Mr Shakespeare.
Other blog title contenders included:
- A line from Paradise Lost which I can't remember, which is not terribly useful.
- Nina Simone lyric, but I overuse those on my personal blog anyway. Though I'm firmly of the belief that there is no such thing as too much Nina.
Anyways I wanted something that suggested a fresh start, without it sounding like I was getting divorced (I've done that once and it was disappointingly a lot less Bette Davies than I was hoping for) or had found a religion.
A mild rant
A note on Shakespeare whilst we're here. The Tempest is very much not my favourite Shakespeare, if you've never seen any Shakespeare don't start with that, please. If you manage to get through the production without wanting to gag Miranda then you've done very well.
However, I do like Shakespeare. I don't like that the British education system seems to think he (lets not bother with the one or many argument right now) is the only bloody playwright to have ever existed. There is way way too much Shakespeare in the National Curriculum (and Dickens for that matter). Truly there are other writers. And it could be argued that neither of those are really that exemplary. More than the overdose of Shakespeare I dislike immensely the teaching of plays as a sit down and read text. No wonder people get out of school hating Shakespeare, they're plays, for playing. You need to feel it, get up and do it not just read it. Partly because importantly that's what plays are written for (though I don't discount the possibility I doubt many playwrights sit down and think "this'll make an awesome GCSE text"), and secondly acting it makes the language a lot less onerous. And lets face it the language is no small issue. Which is a very good reason IMO that it shouldn't be forming the bulk of the drama that schoolchildren are exposed to. If the curriculum really must be littered with dead people how about a bit more Oscar Wilde or John Gay? Both considerably more accessible (I love Marlowe but concede that he is no more accessible than Shakespeare). Or how about some non-dead people, or people who died in the twentieth century, hmm?
However, I do like Shakespeare. I don't like that the British education system seems to think he (lets not bother with the one or many argument right now) is the only bloody playwright to have ever existed. There is way way too much Shakespeare in the National Curriculum (and Dickens for that matter). Truly there are other writers. And it could be argued that neither of those are really that exemplary. More than the overdose of Shakespeare I dislike immensely the teaching of plays as a sit down and read text. No wonder people get out of school hating Shakespeare, they're plays, for playing. You need to feel it, get up and do it not just read it. Partly because importantly that's what plays are written for (though I don't discount the possibility I doubt many playwrights sit down and think "this'll make an awesome GCSE text"), and secondly acting it makes the language a lot less onerous. And lets face it the language is no small issue. Which is a very good reason IMO that it shouldn't be forming the bulk of the drama that schoolchildren are exposed to. If the curriculum really must be littered with dead people how about a bit more Oscar Wilde or John Gay? Both considerably more accessible (I love Marlowe but concede that he is no more accessible than Shakespeare). Or how about some non-dead people, or people who died in the twentieth century, hmm?
